


Interlude

by alafaye



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Asexual Character, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 15:19:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5544926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alafaye/pseuds/alafaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little slice of their lives, post Episode VII.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Interlude

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a bonus for the advent challenge. Not Christmas themed, but eh. Notes about this fic: I read the books from the original trilogy when I was a kid and in them was this amazing character, Mara Jade. She later became Mrs. Skywalker (after a long, long complicated courtship; she made Luke work for it, she did). They were one of my first OTPs and I will think it a sin if she isn't ever in the new movies. Because I totally see Mara entrusting her daughter to some stranger in order to save her from Kylo Ren. No, in my head canon, Luke isn't Rey's dad. But he will totally take care of her because she's Mara's daughter and Luke will walk to end of space for Mara.
> 
> Masterlist for advent fics is [here](http://alafaye.livejournal.com/437913.html).

"Mom, who is that?" Ally-Rey asked, eyes wide. "Why are we here? Are we looking for Uncle Luke?"

Mara ignored Ally. She had to. "Will you take her?"

The trader sniffed. "Isn't much, is she? Wee thing, can't do much."

"She'll learn," Mara told him. She had. Ally would.

The trader sighed and held out a pad. Mara transferred the funds and Ally-Rey was seized by the trader. Mara turned away, never looking back.

"Mom!" Ally screamed.

Mara's ship changed under her feet and she was walking on an island. Clear blue skies, green grass. So different from where she left Ally. A figure stood on a cliff ahead of Mara, looking up. The Millenium Falcon descended and the scene changed again. She watched as Ally reached the figure and...

"NO!" Mara yelled, sitting up in bed.

It was dark, quiet. Her bedroom. Heart pounding, she threw the blanket off her and swung her legs out. She hadn't thought about the day she'd given Ally to the trader for keeping in years. She'd thought about Luke in far less time.

She tried to tell herself that the nightmare was only brought on by the rumors that the Resistance had found Luke. But as she packed up, she knew that the rumors weren't to blame.

~~~

When Finn woke up, Poe was napping in a chair beside his bed. His first thought was that he wished Rey was there. His second was that he preferred that Poe was there. There was something about the pilot; the sheer relief at seeing him alive felt like the feeling sweeping through him now. 

Poe breathed in deep and his eyes opened. "Hey. Awake. Finally. Let me get one of the medical droids."

Finn lay there, a little muzzy still. He'd never been in medical before, never been injured bad, so he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now that he was awake. And everything was so different here than the First Order bases that there would be no hint of what might happen. 

Don't get him wrong, Finn liked being here. He just missed the familiarity of what he knew.

"A droid is coming," Poe said. "But they had you in a bacta tank so once you've gotten some food, they'll have you clear the bed for the next wounded."

Right. Of course. Finn mustered up a half smile. But what then?

~~~

It wasn't just the Resistance that came for him. Of course not. The Force, after all, had a sense of humor to it. It had to be Ally-Rey.

Mara was going to kill him.

He looked at the lightsaber in Rey's hand. He didn't want it. He didn't want to go back to what he'd ruined. The home he broke and the family he had torn apart. But he knew why she had come and why Leia had sent her.

"Please," Rey begged him. "They need you."

"Did you ask why General Organa needs me?" he asked, curious.

Rey had always been as sharp as her mother. She wouldn't just accept that they needed him. She'd have asked.

"Because of Kylo Ren," she told him.

Ben. Luke closed his eyes in pain. Rey groaned. "Look, whatever happened... at least help me. So I can stop him."

He raised an eyebrow. "Stop him? Why you?"

She froze. "I don't know. Because I should."

He supposed it was past time. He held out his hand and she smiled. She put the lightsaber in his hand and he felt it warm in reaction to him. 

Time to go back.

_One Month Later_

"Are you okay?" Rey asked, dropping her lunch tray down on the table. It was full as it always was. She still couldn't get over the fact that their rations here on the base were so full. Finn could sympathize; food was used as a punishment with the First Order. Taken away, being forced feed, scant portions -- food was powerful and people fell in pretty quick if it was threatened.

He took a deep breath and looked over at the table where Poe was, for lack of a better word, holding court. He was in his element, smiling and joking around. "I don't know."

She looked at over at the group. "Just ask him out."

He choked on the soup he'd just taken a bite of. "Sorry?"

She scoffed. "He likes you. You like him. He'll say yes if you ask." Her eyes narrowed. "And then maybe you can leave me alone."

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm sorry. Am I that much trouble?"

She sighed. "Look. I've had plenty of people flirt with me, but they're always after one thing. Sex. I don't like sex. At all. So go ask Poe out and stop trying to get into my robes."

He blinked. He wasn't used to anyone being so forthright about...sex and certainly not about their sexuality. It wasn't talked about where he came from except to tell them to avoid it. Did he want to have sex? With Poe or Rey? 

"Did you break him?" Poe asked, scaring Finn who hadn't heard him come over.

Rey was watching Finn like prey. "I think so. I told him to ask you out for dinner and sex and then...nothing."

Poe was blushing so at least Finn wasn't alone. "Sorry?" Poe begged. He looked at Finn. "What's she talking about?"

"Nothing!" Finn shook his head. "Absolutely nothing."

Rey groaned and stood up. "Both of you. Pining after each other. Go have sex, have a meal together -- whatever it is that people do in a relationship -- and spare us all from your angst."

As she stormed off, Poe sat down. "Uh."

Finn swallowed hard. "I have no idea what she was talking about."

Poe bit his lip, thinking, but Finn was distracted, wondering about Poe's lips. Was that normal? 

"Come on," Poe announced. "We're going to the media room."

~~~

Luke looked up from the latest reports brought back when he felt her. Leia looked at him. "Luke?"

He grimaced. "Mara."

She raised her eyebrows. "She's here?"

"Rey's here," he pointed out. 

She half smiled. "Good luck."

"Hey! I didn't bring her into this."

Leia laughed.

~~~

"Ally Rey?" Mara uttered, quietly. There was her daughter across the hanger bay, looking so mature and yet so young. Oh, how much Mara had missed.

Ally looked over, frowning. "Mom?" 

Swallowing hard, Mara crossed the space, but Ally shook her head and ran in the other direction. Well, that was to expected. Maybe the other person she knew was here would be a bit more open. She began to reach out, like Luke had taught her, but she didn't have to look very far. She turned on her heel and raised an eyebrow.

Luke smiled sheepishly. "Mara."

She punched him. "You said she'd be safe!"

He wiped the blood from his lip. "I was in hiding. Leia sent her to get me."

Mara huffed. "If you had been willing to fix your mistake, this wouldn't have happened!"

They had, by now, gathered a crowd of onlookers. She stormed off, hoping to find Ally.

~~~

Poe heard the crying as he walked toward his bunk. He turned into one of the observation bays and found Rey curled into a ball under a ledge. If he hadn't heard her, he wouldn't have known she was there. He crouched down next to her. "Rey?"

She sniffed and wiped her tears. "Go away."

He sighed. "Come on. No one should cry alone. Sometimes talking about it helps."

She glared, but not at him. He suspected she was glaring at something in her mind. "My mom is here."

What? Her mom? "She's part of the Resistance?"

Rey shrugged. "I don't know. I think she just got here."

Well, a lot of people left after Luke did. Poe licked his lips. "What's her name?"

Rey frowned, concentrating. "Jade. Mara Jade."

He didn't know the name off the top of his head, but something about it rang a bell. Maybe she had been. Poe offered his hand to Rey. "Come on. Let's focus on something else. Finn's got questions I can't answer."

The about face she did was remarkable. Like an older sister concerned about her little brother. Poe was glad that he could see it now. "What have you done to Finn?"

He held up his hands. "Nothing yet. I just showed him a few files on sexuality."

She groaned. "Boys! Can you do nothing without my help?"

~~~

Well. This. It was...interesting. Finn closed the files and sat back. It helped and it didn't. Seemed to him that it left some things out -- like whatever Rey was talking about. He suspected that she fit none of the categories that the file had listed. And as for himself? Well, he was sure he was attracted to men and women, but where did that leave him and Poe? 

Speaking of, Poe and Rey were both walking toward him. Rey had that face on, the one that meant that she was pissed off and was going to fix things no matter the cost and no one was going to stand in her way. Poe was looking concerned, but not too much. It looked like he'd been dragged along in Rey's wake.

Rey didn't say anything, but she picked up the pad that Finn had been reading. She clucked her tongue and glared at Poe. "You had him read these? This is nothing more than romantic dribble! Here." She typed something in and gave the pad to Finn. "This is better."

Finn skimmed the article, but already his questions were clearing up. "Thank you!"

"Great," she muttered. "Lovely. I'm going to bunk and if anyone comes looking for me, you don't know where I am."

Poe held up his hands. "Haven't seen you all day."

She shoved her finger in his face, but when he only cowered back, she left. Poe shook his head. "She scares me."

Finn nodded. "Know what you mean." He looked at the pad and then back up. "So. Want to have dinner together tonight?"

Poe raised his eyebrows. "That must be some article."

Finn smirked. "It's enlightening to say the least. So?"

Poe nodded. "Sure."

~~~

Rey came across BB-8 on her way to the bunkers. It whistled at her. "Yes, I think they've finally sorted it out."

BB-8 whistled forlornly. She chuckled. "I'm sure Poe will still want to go flying with you. You can hang out with me though if you get lonely when he's with Finn."

BB-8 beeped excitedly and she tilted her head. "Come on then. Us asexuals have to stick together."

BB-8 queried the word and she happily described it to him as they crossed the base. But as she walked past main command, she felt it again. The feeling that she knew now meant her mom. Why now? Why did she come now? Did she have to? 

"Luke, I don't care," Mom yelled. "I'm going to blame you."

Huh. With BB-8 on her heels, Rey leaned around the door. Mom and Luke were facing off, Mom looking angry and Luke was trying to be defensive and failing. Rey noticed the lightsaber on Mom's belt. "Are you a Jedi, too?"

Both of them turned, surprised. Rey raised her eyebrows. "Sorry?"

Luke's face saddened. "She could have been."

Mom scoffed. "Don't you start. I never wanted... and now Ally wants --"

"What I want," Rey interrupted, "is to be called Rey. I want to learn how to use the Force. I want to be a Jedi. I want this."

Mom sighed. "It's dangerous, Ally... Rey. Jedi have temptations that make it more dangerous for them. Because of the Force."

"I know. I met Kylo Ren." 

Mom's eyes widened. "You met him?"

"Gave him a good challenge, too," Luke added with a proud smile.

Mom glared at him. He shrugged. Rey lifted her chin. "You left me on Jakku on my own. What you want for me isn't... I'm going to make my own choices even if you disapprove of them."

"Oh, yes, she's your daughter all right," Luke chuckled.

Mom shook her head. "Then I get to help."

Rey narrowed her eyes. Mom raised an eyebrow. Luke rolled his eyes upwards. "I've already been training her. Everyday for a few hours. So I'll see both of you tomorrow?"

~~~

Poe smiled down at Finn who was sleeping on his chest. His bare chest. Finally. It had taken too long in his opinion for them to end up here. If he had anything to say about it, they would be doing this a lot.

Morning broke over the base, shining in through his small window. A new day, a new beginning. He squeezed Finn's shoulder and breathed deep. This is what he wanted. Finn in his bed, himself in an X-wing in the sky with BB-8 in the back. 

Life was good.


End file.
